1. Technical Field
This invention relates to flexible bags, and more particularly, to such bags used for the collection and containment of various articles.
2. Background Information
Simple bag construction is well known in the prior art. Such construction typically involves at least one rectangular-shaped piece of material that is either bonded on three of its sides to another similar sheet or folded upon itself at one of more of these same sides. A fourth edge, generally remains unbound in order to provide an orifice for the deposit and removal of articles to and from the bag. Most commonly, such bags are constructed from polymers and are used for various functions ranging from disposable garbage collection to the preservation of perishables. Closure for such bags is ordinarily provided by tying the orifice off, using additional integral components (e.g. drawstrings, lock seals, etc.) if provided, or employing external components (e.g. clips, twist-ties, etc.) if available. Often, such bags are used in conjunction with rigid bins for support, as with garbage bags, and devices with supporting arms, as with grocery bags. Customarily, an open bag is placed in such a device with the top edge of the unbound side turned inside out and wrapped about the device in a way that lets the bag hang freely.
This arrangement presents several problems for users. The first prevailing problem is the tendency for the bag to fall into the support device as the weight of the bag increases with the collection of more articles. This creates a great hassle for users as the bag becomes difficult to retrieve after such an occurrence. Secondly, such simple bags are very often disposable and thus single use. Therefore, such bags must be replaced after every use. This places a great burden on users, requiring both large amounts of time and effort for each replacement. In addition, and with regard to businesses using janitorial services, such constant replacement can lead to increased service times and may, as a result, also lead to increased costs. Finally, the present means for closing such bags can be wasteful and difficult for users. Most bags depend on a tedious knot for sealing, which requires a significant amount of bag material, leaving less space available for waste and reducing the overall effectiveness of the device. In addition, many users, including children and the elderly, do not have the physical dexterity necessary to tie multiple knots or to utilize complicated integral closure components. Similar problems exist for users using external devices, which often employ similar, but extraneous, mechanisms.
To help remedy the placement problems of the bag relative to the support device, there have previously been attempts to use xe2x80x9cselectively activatiblexe2x80x9d adhesives to further maintain the position of a bag in a rigid, supporting receptacle. Selectively activatible adhesives require users to position the bag properly and then perform some action, usually compression, on the adhesive to activate it. This presents additional problems for users. Foremost, users are required to perform an inherent supplementary step when using assemblies with such adhesives. This naturally requires additional time and effort from users. Moreover, these assemblies generally require repeated direct adhesion to a supporting structure. This too can also cause several problems. First, when used with wastebins, which by their very nature are less than clean, the resulting bond quality between the bag and the support device can be less than desirable because of existing sediment on and around the bond areas. In the same manner, these adhesion bonds can similarly have greater deterioration rates through use and resulting increased strain, often letting the assembly ultimately fall into the support device. Furthermore, since these adhesives have been under lengthy strain and have been dirtied through direct contact with the support device, they can as a result not again be effectively utilized as an adept closure means. Likewise, such uncleanly sediment can represent a health concern since removal of the bag from the support device ordinarily requires direct physical contact by users with the adhesivexe2x80x94allowing even more trash than necessary to come into contact with users. Finally, and with regards to bags of all uses, the adhesive is oftentimes placed in an area that makes eventual closure of the bag excessively difficult, whether it be through integral means, external means, or the unclean and degraded adhesive itself.
Furthermore, xe2x80x9cnestingxe2x80x9d of bags, or the placing of multiple bags within each other, has been described in the prior art to counter the repeated need for singular, xe2x80x9csimplexe2x80x9d bags to be replaced. However, such descriptions do not attempt to solve other problems already highlightedxe2x80x94problems such as providing an effortless and effective closure means. Furthermore, there are additional inherent problems with the complicated assemblies presented by the prior art. For example, such previously disclosed nesting assemblies require awkward tearing of the actual bag to separate the used bag from its permanent connection with the other bags. Such tearing motions can be extremely difficult for users such as children, the elderly, or those suffering from arthritis and other ailments. Moreover, such separation can be difficult and precarious for anyone when the contents of the bag are substantial. In such cases, the strained bag can often tear off the intended perforations and spill the bag""s contents. Additionally, this tearing can leave behind parts of the bag physically attached to the support device. This, as a result, forces an additional clean-up step. As well, the required tearing actually obligates users to have prolonged physical contact with the area around the orifice of the bag and can even necessitate users to reach into the enclosure, often containing garbage. This too can represent another health concern. In addition, because the nested bags are permanently bonded to each other, they cannot be split up into multiple functioning subassemblies to be placed in several support devices. Thus, such assemblies can be more costly then necessary since they must be shipped in smaller collections and can be more inconvenient since they cannot be divided and placed in varying amounts where needed.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a bag assembly that maintains the proper position and orientation of the assembly relative to a support device. It would also be desirable to provide such an assembly that possesses a clean, effective, and easy integral closure means without an additional activation step. It is further desirable to provide a simpler bag assembly that does not require frequent replacement and does not require any tearing of the bag assembly for removal or separation of a bag from the assembly. It is likewise desirable to provide a bag assembly that allows the assembly to be divided into functioning subassemblies for use with multiple support devices.
The present invention provides a bag assembly that utilizes a connection means for temporarily binding nesting bags to each other and preferably for later additionally acting as a closure means for those same bags. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the assembly is configured such that an adhesive is revealed when a nested bag is removed from the assembly. That same adhesive then provides a closure means for the orifice of the bag.